


Anatomy of Love

by eclipseul



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Doctor AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Mentions of Blood, Sort Of, all loona members will eventually be introduced, mature language/themes, more like rivals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eclipseul/pseuds/eclipseul
Summary: The doctors at Blockberry Medical Center navigate through work, friendship, and love.





	1. Jung Jinsoul, M.D.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the result of me binge-watching grey’s too many times and that one fansign where jinsoul and choerry were wearing those doctor coats.

 

“Paging Dr. Jung to the second floor nurses’ station. Dr. Jung to the second floor nurses’ station.”

 

Jinsoul’s face scrunches up in confusion as she grabs her morning coffee from the hospital’s coffee cart. She didn’t have any open cases on that floor and if it was a new case, she would have been paged to the ER or the Neurology wing for a consult.

 

Curious and hoping it was something exciting, Jinsoul makes her way to the elevator.

 

It takes less than 5 steps after the elevator doors open for her to be greeted by party poppers being shot at her by the nuisances she calls her friends and coworkers. Confetti rains down on the blonde’s unamused face.

 

“You guys paged me here for.. what exactly _am_ I here for?” Jinsoul huffs out in annoyance.

 

The shortest of the trio steps forward, her bobbed hair swaying in perfect motion as she did so. “We’re celebrating! A little early but still, it’s not everyday our best friend gets promoted to Head of Neurosurgery.”

 

“Yeah you’ll finally be obligated to attend those boring A&P meetings they make every department head go to each month with us now,” the redhead to her right, Vivi, says.

 

“Those meetings may be boring but they have the best catering,” Jungeun, who was leaning against the front desk flipping through a chart, adds as an afterthought.

 

Jinsoul groans. _Not this again._ Her friends have been pestering her about this possible promotion for weeks now ever since rumors that the current Head of Neuro, Dr. Man, was retiring first spread. They were all convinced his stepping down meant her taking his spot. I mean, sure, she had been called to Jaden Jeong, the Chief of Surgery’s, office three weeks back to discuss some changes within the Neurosurgery department. But that wasn’t a job offer. And Jinsoul didn’t want to plant false hope.

 

But her friends were relentless. Granted, they were mostly excited for her finally being recognized for her talents and hard work and perhaps, a little smug at the fact that their friend group would then be heading four different departments. Currently, Haseul is the Head of General surgery, Vivi the Head of ENT/Plastics, and Jungeun the Head of Cardiothoracic surgery (‘the youngest department head in all of Blockberry Medical’s history’ Jungeun would coyly add in every time). So with Jinsoul as the Head of Neurosurgery they would be, to quote Vivi’s words from one of their previous drunken nights out, “running the whole goddamn hospital”.

 

“Don’t you pull that face, Jung Jinsoul. You are the best candidate for that position and everyone in the surgical wing knows it. Stop doubting yourself.” Haseul speaks up again upon seeing Jinsoul’s furrowed brow.

 

“It’s not that, I just don’t want to get my hopes up for something that’s not even confirmed yet! I mean, the rumor about Dr. Man retiring was just gossip from the nurses. Plus, Chief Jeong hasn’t even properly offered me the job yet.”

 

Vivi scoffs. “Okay, first of all, you know the nurses have all the tea. Second, Dr. Man is a fossil. I wouldn’t trust that man with a scalpel anywhere near me. And neither do the patients, it seems, because if you’ve been paying attention to the surgical board, he’s been taking on less and less cases and basically dumping anything that isn’t a simple biopsy onto you. People come to Blockberry Medical Center looking for Dr. Jung Jinsoul of Neurosurgery to remove their brain tumors, not Dr. Man.”

 

And as much as Vivi was making sense (and feeding into her ego), Jinsoul still didn’t want to get her hopes up.

 

Jungeun chimes in, finally looking up from her charts. “You got the email right? About the staff meeting in Auditorium B? Chief Jeong wrote that he had an announcement to make today and I’ll bet you 3 bypass surgeries that it’s about the soon-to-be vacancy in the neuro department.”

 

Jinsoul hates when her friends uses logic and reasoning against her. “I… ‘ll see you guys later. I have to make rounds.”

 

\----------

 

Jinsoul hates to admit it but her friends’ words had gotten to her. After she had finished making her rounds and checking on her post-op patients, it was near time for the staff meeting. She makes her way into the auditorium with a skip in her step and her head held a little higher than usual. It didn’t help that she was getting a lot more greetings than usual from her fellow doctors, waving, smiling, and even shaking her hand as if to congratulate her. She was buzzing by the time she took her seat next to her friends, sitting between Vivi and Haseul.

 

It took a few minutes to quiet down the crowd but eventually everyone settles down as Chief Jeong makes his introductions.

 

“Hello all. I’m going to make this as short and swift as possible because I know you are all busy people with patients and surgeries to get to. First of all, a reminder that the new class of interns will be arriving tomorrow so residents who have been assigned any should be prepared for that. Attendings as well should look to this as a teaching opportunity.”

 

“Oh I totally forgot about the new interns! Tomorrow should be fun.” Vivi comments from her seat.

 

Jungeun groans and rolls her eyes. “For the love of God Vivi, _please_ stop sleeping with the interns.”

 

“Let me have my fun. You’re just jealous because you wish the interns liked you, Dictator Kim.” Vivi replies back, throwing air quotes around the dictator title. A title Jungeun had gained from the intern class three years ago for her notoriety with being a tough and unyielding teacher and has stuck ever since.

 

“Whatever, you’re still the worse.”

 

“Shhh I’m trying to listen.” Haseul harshly shushes the bickering duo.

 

Back on stage, Dr. Jeong continues, “Additionally, as you all may have heard, there have been rumors circulating about a vacancy in the Neurosurgery department.” The man on stage pauses as if for dramatic effect and Jinsoul finds herself holding her breath.

 

“We didn’t want to make an announcement before finalizing everything but it is true that Dr. Man will be retiring, therefore leaving an opening for the Head of Neurosurgery position.”

 

“Oh my fucking god, this is it, what did we tell you?!” Vivi nudges Jinsoul playfully but the girl sitting next to her was as still a statue.

 

“After much discussions and observations over these past few weeks, I have come to a decision on his replacement. I don’t believe there’s anyone more fitting and qualified for this role.” Jinsoul unconsciously grips the armrests of her seat, almost as if preparing to launch herself upwards into a standing position.

 

“So let’s all give a warm welcome to your new Head of Neurosurgery… Dr. Ha Sooyoung!”

 

“…“

 

“Who.”

 

“The.”

 

“Fuck?”

 

Jungeun, Haseul, and Vivi all say in succession.

 

Jinsoul has her eyes glued to the stage, watching as Chief Jeong gestures for this Ha Sooyoung woman to come closer to the center so that her new peers can see her better. She stares hard at the woman now standing center stage, unfazed by the awkward tension and scattered applause from the crowd, as she makes a brief introduction.

 

Jinsoul couldn’t tell what was worse. The fact that an outsider stole the job that she had been vying for and working so hard towards. Or that said outsider was the most gorgeous woman she had ever laid her eyes on.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first time writing for loona and posting on here so... i hope it's not too horrible. this first chapter is pretty short and nothing much happens but yvesoul will meet in the next chapter. i sort of just wrote this on a whim so i don't know when the next update will be. anyway thank you for reading and let me know what you think!


	2. The Head of Neurosurgery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lots of medical jargon (hope it doesn’t bore you guys too much) towards the end of the chapter that may or may not be accurate. who knows, i’m not a doctor!

 

Jinsoul decided. Ha Sooyoung coming into  _ her _ department and stealing  _ her _ job is definitely worse. No amount of captivating eyes or pouty lips or curvy hips or-- what was she talking about again?-- oh right, can make up for the absolute menace this woman is to Jinsoul’s routine.

 

And Jinsoul is a sucker for routine. 

 

She never books surgeries first thing in the morning. First, she would grab a morning cup of coffee from the coffee truck in the hospital's courtyard. Then, she would chat up the night-shift nurses, doctors. ER techs, and the like to see if she missed out on anything exciting overnight. After that would come rounds. Checking on her post-op patients and prepping her pre-ops. 

 

She always performs craniotomies and endoscopic surgeries in OR 1 because that room is always the right temperature and has her favorite scrub nurses. Any imaging-guided procedures, laser ablation, or radiosurgeries is booked in OR 4 because it has the best surgical technician. Of course, with the nature of her job, there will always be unpredictable situations that disrupts her otherwise normal schedule but that’s to be expected. That kind of unpredictability she could deal with.

 

The trailblazing ball of fire that is her new Head of Neurosurgery, however, is a whole other story. 

 

On top of stealing Jinsoul’s job, the woman also steals nearly half of her patients and rearranged a third of her surgeries to cater to whatever it is she pleases. Her second best resident and third favorite scrub nurse were also some of the casualties of this robbery.

 

Needless to say, Jinsoul is pissed. 

 

Grabbing a random, unsuspecting second-year by the coat, who unluckily happens to cross paths with her at that moment, she gritts out, “Where is she?”

 

The resident lets out a noise of shock before quickly recovering, managing to piece together who the blonde is referring too. “S-she’s on the third floor! For a new patient consult.”

 

He stumbles back slightly as his coat is let go of, quickly backing out of the blonde’s way as she bulldozes a path to the nearest elevator. 

 

\----------

 

Jinsoul finds her shortly after in an exam room talking to a patient and his wife. Knocking against the slightly opened door to let her presence be known, she calls out, “Dr. Ha? If I could borrow you for a moment, I have a case I wanted to get a second opinion on.”

 

The woman in question glances at Jinsoul for a brief second before turning back to her patient and politely excusing herself. She closes the door gently as she steps out of the room, Jinsoul simultaneously taking a step back to create a respectable amount of distance between them. 

 

The brunette is slightly taller than her, a fact that’s punctuated by the heels she wears that seem way too impractical for their line of work. Jinsoul quickly switches her gaze back up to the woman’s face, right as a small smile is thrown her way. 

 

_ She has a pretty smile _ , Jinsoul finds herself thinking before she could stop herself.

 

“I don’t think we’ve properly met yet, Dr.” the brunette drawls out as she squints at Jinsoul’s name tag. Jinsoul shouldn’t find it as cute as she does. “Jung Jinsoul. I’m Sooyoung.” 

 

She goes to stretch her hand out for a handshake but Jinsoul’s words stops her in her motion.

 

“I know who you are. Chief Jeong made a quite of show of it last week.”

 

Sooyoung lets her hand drop before it reaches its destination, eventually stuffing them in her pockets as Jinsoul continues.

 

“What I don’t know is where you worked before and how things operated over there but here at Blockberry Medical, we have certain procedures and protocols and not everything can be overlooked simply based on hierarchy.” 

 

“What are you getting at Dr. Jung?”

 

“My patients. And my surgeries. You moved them around without consulting me first.”

 

There’s a tense moment of silence that passes between them. Sooyoung is the one to break it.

 

“So, you called me out here, with the excuse of getting a second opinion on a case I’m quite sure now doesn’t exist, taking me away from a patient that actually needs my help, over what- scheduling disputes?” 

 

“It’s n-”

 

“Look Dr. Jung, you can take up whatever concerns you have about this issue with the senior resident who, according to those precious procedures and protocols you mentioned, is the one who’s actually in charge of the surgical schedule. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do. I suggest you do the same.”

 

Jinsoul can only watch slack-jawed in disbelief as the woman turns away from her (she chooses to ignore how her eyes momentarily strays to her ass) to walk back into the room. 

 

\----------

 

That terse exchange keeps Jinsoul on edge all day. She knew she was being snappy with the residents more than usual but she couldn’t help it. One conversation with Ha Sooyoung had left her feeling like a fool, an infuriated one at that.

 

After finishing her second surgery of the day, Jinsoul decides to grab lunch since she has some free time before her next surgery. She runs into Haseul in the cafeteria line, the two making small talk about the day’s events so far (Jinsoul conveniently leaves out her run in with the other neurosurgeon) while they wait for their food.

 

As the two make their way over to their usual table, they notice their two other friends already there. Jinsoul notes Jungeun’s ears turning bright red as Vivi teases her about something.

 

“Why are Jungeun’s ears the same color as the aneurysm I just clipped?” Jinsoul asks as they take their seats.

 

“Oh we were just talking about how she backed out of a case this morning like a little pussy because she’s scared of the other Dr. Kim.” Vivi responds easily, plopping a cherry tomato in her mouth.

 

“I’m not scared of her, I just find her a little too intense.”

 

“Wait are we talking about Ortho Kim or Trauma Kim?” Jinsoul inquires.

 

“Trauma Kim.” Vivi answers again, obviously enjoying the youngest’s embarrassment on the topic.

 

Haseul interjects, “Jiwoo??? That girl is an absolute sweetheart.”

 

“Sweetheart…” Jungeun visibly cringes at the term of endearment, “is not a word I would use to describe her. The last time I was down in the ER, I watched as she shoved a guy’s spilling organs back into his abdominal cavity with her bare hands and then saran wrapped him. Like we were on one of those horribly dramatic medical soaps on TV or something. She couldn’t even wait two minutes for the intern I sent to get supplies to come back! So yeah, definitely not someone I would want to be sharing an OR with.”

 

“I mean, she’s used to dealing with trauma cases on a day-to-day basis so her methods are obviously going to be a little more extreme and rushed than what we’re used to. You just haven’t talked to her outside of the chaos of the ER yet.” Haseul justifies.

 

“I don’t know, I have to agree with Jungeun on this one. I would find Kim Jiwoo intimidating too if I wasn’t her indirect superior.” Jinsoul voices through a stuffed mouth, having shoved half her sandwich in there in one bite.

 

“Anyway, Jinsoul, how has your day been?” VIvi asks, her and Jungeun turning conspiratorially to face her.

 

“Fine… why do you ask?”

 

“Oh really? Because we heard you and the new Head had a little showdown on the third floor earlier this morning.”

 

_ Crap. _ Leave it to Vivi to find out the news before anyone else.

 

“Don’t look so upset babe, you know nothing happens around this hospital without me knowing.”

 

“I swear, sometimes it seems like you’d make a better journalist than a surgeon,” Haseul teases.

 

“Oh, I resent that Jo Haseul.” Vivi says in mock offense. Turning back to Jinsoul, “So spill. What happened between you two?”

 

“Shouldn’t you already know, Miss Omniscient?”

 

“Maybe I just want to hear it from your point of view.”

 

“I heard you were fighting over a patient.” Jungeun quips.

 

“That’s not- ugh. We weren’t fighting. It was more like a disagreement over how she’s running things not even one week into the job. I don’t know, something about her just gets on every single last one of my nerves.”

 

“Ooooh this is serious. Jinsoul never hates anyone.” Vivi chimes in.

 

“If it’s just administrative differences, I’m sure the two of you can work it out.” Haseul offers hopefully.

 

“Yeah… maybe. I just don’t like her attitude at all.”

 

It’s silent for a while after that as the four eat their lunch. Then Jungeun, “Does anyone else find her hot?”

 

“Oh hell yes.”

 

“Well, she’s certainly easy on the eyes.”

 

Jinsoul stares at her friends in disbelief, feeling betrayed even though she herself has thought the same about the raven-haired woman. Among other not so appropriate thoughts.

 

“Don’t worry Jung, we’re your best friends. We’ll still hate her for you.”

 

And as unreasonable as that line of thinking sounds, it makes her feel slightly better. 

 

\----------

 

Jinsoul rips off her mask and gown, tossing it into the medical waste bin. She had just spent a grueling six hours in surgery to remove a blood clot that turned out much more complicated than she had initially expected. 

 

Jinsoul wants nothing more than a hot shower in the comfort of her own bathtub at home and then proceed to knock out for twelve hours. In her gigantic king-size bed. Or in the bathtub (that’s happened before), she’s not too picky at this point.

 

As she’s making her way to her office to get a change of clothes, her pager goes off. She internally groans, praying that it isn’t an ER call so she can just pass it off to one of the higher level residents. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion upon seeing that it’s a call from the Chief of Surgery.

 

Not exactly something she can put off. With a huff, she turns in the opposite direction of her office and makes her way to the elevators.

 

\----------

 

The VIP floor isn’t a place that’s unfamiliar to Jinsoul. She has treated her fair share of high profile celebrities, politicians, and athletes who come to Blockberry Medical looking for the best of the best. These aren’t exactly her favorite cases, VIPs tend to have inflated egos and the need to be babied, but they pay well and are extremely helpful to the hospital’s public image. 

 

Jinsoul heads toward the door where two beefy looking security guards stand, flashing her hospital ID badge before she’s let in. A scowl makes its way onto her face once she realizes she isn’t the only doctor that was called in.

 

Standing a little off to the side is Ha Sooyoung, reading through, what Jinsoul assumes, is the patient’s charts. Chief Jeong stands at the foot of the bed chatting with some important-looking suit. He looks up at the sound of her footsteps and waves her over.

 

Jinsoul shuffles over uncomfortably, feeling extremely underdressed in her day old scrubs and messy bun. She notes that Sooyoung has changed back into her normal clothes and tries to ignore how well her jeans hug her hips.

 

“Jinsoul! So glad you could make it,” Chief Jeong speaks up. “This is Dongsik of SM Group. He is the one who brought Mr. Lee in.”

 

Mr. Lee, Jinsoul notes belatedly is Lee Sooman, founder and former chairman of SM Entertainment. The blonde immediately schools her face into one of neutrality. She’s a surgeon first, reveluv second (she tries to remind herself).

 

“Dongsik, these are our two best neurosurgeons, you won’t find anyone more skilled and talented than them in the region. Dr. Jung here has been one of our own since she was just an intern fresh out of medical school. Which one was that again, Seoul Medical School right?” 

 

Jinsoul just nods, knowing that Chief Jeong already knew and is just making a show out of preening her merits and achievements. 

 

“She was also a runner-up for last year’s Ho-Am Prize in Medicine. The youngest nominee of that year.” Yeah, Jinsoul isn’t about to complain about this ego booster.

 

“And Dr. Ha here,” he gestures to the other woman in the room, “is our new Head of Neurosurgery. She went to school in the states, Stanford or Harvard or the like.” No wonder Jinsoul had never heard of her. “She’s a Lasker Award recipient and was even featured in TIMES magazine!” The blonde has to hold back a groan.  _ Of course the woman’s credentials are as flashy as her looks. _

 

“So rest assured, Mr. Lee is in capable hands here.” Chief Jeong finishes. 

 

Dongsik nods curtly in acknowledgement, probably much less interested in hearing about their accolades than Chief Jeong was about showboating them. The man clears his throat before speaking. “That’s all very nice to hear Chief Jeong and I look forward to whichever surgeon we will be choosing to work with.”

 

_ So this will be a competition, not a collaboration. _ Jinsoul is suddenly much more interested.

 

Dongsik is mechanical as he proceeds to go over the case. “The patient is Lee Sooman, 66 year old male presenting with headache, nausea and vomiting, lapse in memory, and ultimately loss of consciousness, which was what prompted us to take him to the hospital three weeks ago. He had an brain MRI done that same day and multiple experts’ opinions afterwards all reveal the same thing. Glioblastoma multiforme. An especially aggressive form at that.”

 

“GBM? Why did you wait three weeks to seek out treatment?” Sooyoung inquires almost accusingly.

 

Dongsik turns to the face the woman, looking somber. “We didn’t. Our team has been all over the country, seeking out the top neurosurgeons dealing with this type of cancer. They all talked big game but balked upon seeing the MRI images. None them are willing to touch the tumor at all.”

 

Jinsoul could understand why. GBM is an aggressive form of brain tumor with a poor prognosis, usually appearing as Grade IV from the onset. It certainly doesn’t help that if you mess up, you would be killing one of the most well-known and widely loved public figures. One false move and it’s basically career suicide. The challenge sparks something inside of her.

 

“Can we see the scans?” Jinsoul speaks up for the first time. Dongsik nods and heads over to the already booted up computer to insert a CD into the slot. It takes awhile for the images to load but when it does, it leaves to the two women speechless.

 

Jinsoul is the first to break the silence. “Motherfu-  _ god _ … that’s a big tumor.”

 

Chief Jeong turns to address them then. “So, are you both up to the challenge?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m having fun writing yvesoul tension so it will probably continue like this for a bit. also i noticed that i use Jinsoul and Vivi’s stage names in this but the rest of the girls’ real names.. well we’ll just have to deal with that. anyway we’ll be meeting the interns next chapter (whenever that comes out LOL) as always, please let me know what you think!


	3. Adversity makes for strange bedfellows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter yet and it took me the shortest amount time to write.. maybe i’m onto something here

 

“Alright Mr. Lee, we’re almost done here. Please stay as still as possible for us alright?” the radiology technician speaks out through the microphone to the patient who is currently laying in the MRI machine.

 

After a few more minutes, the tech finishes taking the last set of pictures and gives a thumbs up as an all clear for the staff on the other side of the glass. Turning around to address the two doctors in the room, he motions to the screens behind him.

 

“Should take a few minutes for the images to be uploaded on the server but they’ll pop up there on the screen when it’s done.”

 

Jinsoul stands agitatedly, her gaze fixed on the large computer screen, trying to ignore the presence beside her.

 

Both her and Sooyoung had agreed on taking on the case so now the ball was in their court to come up with the best plan of action and present it to Mr. Lee’s medical team, spearheaded by Dongsik. The one with the more convincingly effective proposal would then be chosen to perform the surgery.

 

Currently, both of them are waiting for a more up-to-date MRI scan before deciding on their next move. There’s a ding before the brain scans flash up on the screen. They both study the images closely before Sooyoung breaks the silence.

 

“Shit… it’s grown so much larger in just three weeks.” Jinsoul nods grimly. If the tumor seemed difficult to remove before it was near impossible now.

 

“Minseok can you send a copy of this to me along with the patient’s blood test results once it’s out?” After getting confirmation from the tech, Jinsoul begins to walk out of the room.

 

“What, you don’t want to stay and bounce some ideas off each other?” It’s an innocent invitation really, but the teasing lilt to Sooyoung’s voice sends a chill down the blonde’s spine.

 

“I’ll pass. It would be kind of counterproductive to be sharing ideas with your competitor, don’t you think?”

 

“That’s only if you feel threatened by them.” Jinsoul is by the door now but the other woman’s words makes her stop in her tracks to turn and face her. Which is a mistake because then she catches the smug look on Sooyoung’s face. Jinsoul so badly wants to wipe that smirk off her lips. Preferably with her own lips.

 

That thought leaves the blonde’s mind as quickly as it entered. Shaking her head subtly, she doesn’t bother to grace the other doctor with a response before exiting the room.

 

\----------

 

“Chaewon go ask her.”

 

“What? No! You go ask her yourself.”

 

Yerim pushes them both aside. “Move, I’ll ask.” The other three interns follow after their coworker like a litter of puppies as the girl approaches the short hair attending.

 

“Um, excuse me,” Yerim squeaks out meekly, a complete 180 from her confident demeanor just moments ago. The woman she addresses stays with her back turned, probably not having heard the tiny voice.

 

“Hey Haseul, I think you have some fans,” Vivi states from off to the side, having witnessed the whole thing. Haseul turns around to face the group of interns who now look as if they had just been caught red-handed.

 

“Oh hello! How can I help you?” Haseul asks kindly.

 

The other three all look to Yerim. “H-hi Dr. Jo. I just wanted to say I really admire your work. The medical journal you published last year on the use of stem cells in CKD patients was so enlightening. And Dr. Wong, the VW technique you developed for septoplasties is so precise, your error rate is nearly three times less than the average.”

 

The two surgeons share an amused look but otherwise, say nothing, curious as to where the rambling intern is heading.

 

“So, my friends and I are, um… well we’re just wondering-”

 

“Is it true that an idol from SM Entertainment is here in the hospital?” The shortest of the bunch blurts out, out of patience for her blabbering friend.

 

“Yeojin, seriously?” The black haired intern, Son Hyejoo from her nametag, whispers harshly.

 

“What? It’s what we all wanted to ask. Don’t pretend like you’re not curious.”

 

Haseul clears her throat, gaining the attention of the interns in front of her. “That’s classified information way above your clearance I’m afraid.” The four visibly deflate. “However, I can tell you that it’s not an idol.”

 

“Ugh lame. I don’t care for actors.” The blonde intern, Chaewon, voices.

 

Haseul chuckles. “You know, I bet the two neuro attendings on the case could use some interns to assist with research and whatnot.”

 

“By ‘and whatnot’ she means bitch work by the way,” Vivi jests. “But if you’re so curious on who the VIP is, that’s one way to find out.”

 

“ _And_ , it would be an extremely rare chance to work with some of the top neurosurgeons in the country so early in your career too.” Haseul adds.

 

Yeojin and Chaewon seemed to have lost interest once they heard the VIP wasn’t an idol but Yerim and Hyejoo’s eyes gleam ambitiously at the suggestion.

 

“Anyway, don’t you all have work to do? If not, I can think of _plenty_ of tasks I need help with getting done.” At the threat, the four interns begin to busy themselves, making excuses of having patients to check on and scurrying away at the speed of light.

 

“Haseul! Stop scaring the interns.”

 

“But it’s so funny. They’re all such babies.”

 

“You and your power trips, I swear to god.”

 

\----------

 

Jinsoul doesn’t know how it happens but after being relentlessly pursued by a persistent purple haired intern, she dazedly agrees to let the girl onto her case, if only to shut her up. Although, once she stopped avoiding her and actually listened, the bright-eyed newbie did have a lot of good ideas.

 

The neurosurgeon bitterly muses that maybe if she had the Head title, interns and residents would be more intimidated to approach her like they are towards Haseul, Vivi, Jungeun, and probably Sooyoung too, she figures. But the blonde has always been the pushover of their friend group. And this was definitely no regular intern.

 

They are currently in one of the unused labs where Jinsoul has been running multiple craniotomy simulations on an interactive surgical program. So far, she’s killed the patient 23 out of 24 times, the one time she didn’t was when the program glitched and restarted on her. Letting out a frustrated groan, she turns to the intern who has been pretending to do research on a computer while secretly observing her the whole time.

 

“Dr. Choi, can you go down to pathology and check to see if they have Lee Sooman’s lab results yet?” The intern springs from her seat immediately at the prospect of having something proactive to do, raising her hand up in mock salute. “I’m on it!” _God, she was weird._

 

“While you’re down there, can you also grab the latest set of vitals on the patient?” Yerim lights up even more at the prospect of having actual patient interaction.

 

“Get it from the nurse.” Jinsoul emphasizes to Yerim’s disappointment. “Sorry but I’m not about to let an intern straight out of med school touch our VIP patient. It’s nothing personal.”

 

Said intern nods dejectedly but still rushes out the room, excited to get her first task done and impress Jinsoul.

 

When Yerim arrives at the pathology department, there’s already a long line formed at the front desk. She overhears the residents in front her complain about how the servers are down on this floor and how everyone is being forced to wait in line to get physical copies of their patients’ lab results. _Just great_ , she thinks. There are at least 20 people in front of her.

 

“What are you doing here?” she hears a familiar voice question from behind her. She’s met with Son Hyejoo’s blank face when she turns around.

 

“Just checking on a patient’s lab results like everyone else here.” Yerim vaguely answers, trying not to give away anything.

 

“Right.”

 

…

 

An awkward silence hangs between them. When there’s only one person left in front of her, Yerim breaks the silence.

 

“So…” she drawls. “Who’s your patient?”

 

“Ah, it’s one of Dr. Ha’s patients,” the slightly taller girl deflects.

 

“Oh cool.”

 

“You?”

 

“Dr. Jung.”

 

A beat of silence. Then, a realization.

 

“Next!” The front desk receptionist calls, snapping both girls out of their respective revelations.

 

“Hi, can I get the lab results-”

 

“-for the patient in room 1201.”

 

Both girls are leaning on the counter now, not so discreetly elbowing each other to move.

 

“I was here first so.”

 

“Well, mine’s a VIP patient so.”

 

“So is mine!”

 

The receptionist looks between the two bickering interns, unamused. “Look, it seems like you’re both here for the same patient, so I can just make two copies and-”

 

“Well give me the first copy.” Hyejoo interjects.

 

“What? I was before you in line.” Yerim fires back.

 

“Both copies are already done printing, see?” The receptionist holds a thin stack of papers in each of her outstretched hands. “I’ll just hand them to both of you at the same time and-”

 

Both girls surge forward, snatching the papers from the receptionist, not without shoving each other one last time before they both bolt in opposite directions.

 

The receptionist stares blankly at the now empty space in front of her. “I hate my job.”

 

\----------

 

Both elevator doors ding and open simultaneously on the twelfth floor, the two girls turning to face each other once again.

 

It’s a second before a mad dash occurs, both racing to get to the nurses’ station first. They arrive at practically the same time, firing out their requests before they even stop moving.

 

“Can I get Mr. Lee’s latest set of vitals?” the two ask in unison.

 

The nurse holds her hand up to silence them, a phone pressed to her ear neither interns had noticed before. When she finishes the call, she starts listing them off one after another.

 

“Temp at 99.2°F; pulse was a bit tachy at 104; BP 132/78, blood sugar at 110, respiratory rate 18 and a bit labored with an O2 sat of 92% so we put him on a nasal cannula at 4 lpm.” The interns scramble to pull out a pen and something to write on as they try to keep up with the nurse.

 

“When was-” Yerim starts to ask.

 

“Vitals were taken 20 minutes ago. He was also given lunch at the same time and took his meds shortly after, the list which you can find in his chart. Now, is that all you needed?”

 

Both girls meekly nod before scurrying away from the scary nurse. As they walk side by side to the elevators, Hyejoo speaks up.

 

“You know, Dr. Ha has this in the bag. She is the Head of Neurosurgery for a reason.”

 

Yerim scoffs. “You shouldn’t depend on a title to prove your worth. Dr. Jung’s patient outcomes speak for themselves. She’s the best at what she does and everyone in this hospital knows it.”

 

“Yeah, well we’ll see about that at tomorrow’s proposal presentation.”

 

They both step into the elevator, Hyejoo quickly pressing the button for her floor first. Yerim stares at the numbers for a moment, contemplating, before pressing the button for every single floor. She throws a mischievous look over her shoulder before quickly slipping out the doors right before they close on Hyejoo’s stunned face.

 

The purple haired intern makes it back to the lab, huffing and puffing. Jinsoul still hasn’t moved an inch from her seat, her brows knit in concentration as she attempts yet another simulation.

 

The blonde notices the out of breath girl a moment later, taking in her tired appearance as she slumps down dramatically in her seat.

 

“What took you so long Choi? And why are you so sweaty?”

 

\----------

 

Jinsoul is feeling good. She had just finished presenting her plan to Lee Sooman’s board of medical advisors and she feels confident. She has a solid plan and the skills to execute it. She doesn’t want to seem overconfident but things are looking up for her. Especially the longer she listens to Sooyoung’s proposal.

 

The woman is intelligent and her ideas are logical but her approach is obviously way too aggressive, with too much margin for error. After seeing the type of person Dongsik is, sturdy and unmoving, carrying the responsibility for the life of an influential figure on his shoulders, he definitely won’t be taking any big risks with that.

 

Dongsik presents a question to Sooyoung, one Jinsoul expected. “You have a very aggressive take on the surgery as compared to Dr. Jung. Why do you believe that this is the better option?”

 

“GBM is an aggressive cancer.” The woman states simply. The team of medical advisors stay silent waiting for her to elaborate. Sooyoung doesn’t falter under their judging stares and continues.

 

“With a tumor of this size, there’s already a 50% chance the patient will bleed out on the table, regardless of whether the surgeon performs the procedure perfectly or not. And that’s me being generous with the statistic considering Mr. Lee’s tumor has enlarged exponentially over the course of the past three weeks. With the margin of error already so high and the nature of the tumor so unpredictable, playing it safe, even if the surgery does goes well, it won’t count as a success anyway.”

 

“And why is that?”

 

“Let’s say we go with Dr. Jung’s plan. A standard surgical approach and rounds of chemotherapy later. Let me be frank, with Mr. Lee’s specific case, his prognosis even after treatment will be around 6 months. A third to a half of that time will be spent in recovery from the surgery. So what? After countless expensive medical procedures, you bought him 3 months.”

 

And just like that JInsoul’s mood plummets, her mouth twisting in annoyance. She isn’t exactly fond of the tactic Sooyoung is using right now even if it makes sense on some level.

 

“And you’re saying your method will buy him more time?” Dongsik prods.

 

“I’m not saying anything for certain. It’s true what I propose is riskier but there is a higher chance of me removing much more of the tumor if I’m successful. And then,” the dark haired intern who entered with Sooyoung earlier flocks to her side to hand her some documents, “I want to put him in this clinical trial in the States. They’re using ICT-107 immunotherapy and early results from phase 1 and phase 2 of the trial have shown promising results. I have a former colleague who’s working on this study and I gave her minimal details about Mr. Lee’s case and she agrees that he would make for a perfect candidate in their third phase.”

 

Dongsik and the rest of the medical experts seem to contemplate what Sooyoung says, some whispering amongst themselves.

 

Sooyoung says one more thing before returning to her seat. “You’ve all been scouring the country to find the best of the best. Now that you found it, are you willing to settle for anything less?”

 

After a couple minutes of discussion, Jinsoul watches as Dongsik shakes Sooyoung’s hands, bidding her goodbye until they meet again for tomorrow’s surgery.

 

Jinsoul isn’t bitter that she didn’t get picked, per say. Both their proposals had been strong, and she didn’t particularly consider her way the safe approach although in retrospect, in comparison to Sooyoung’s, she figures it would seem that way. But in the end, she knows it’s all in the best interest of the patient. More than anything though, the reality of losing yet another thing to the great Ha Sooyoung stings more than she expects.

 

In the corner of her eye, she can see hers and Sooyoung’s intern bickering. The dark haired girl with triangular lips (Dr. Son Hyejoo, she notes) is currently playfully teasing Choi Yerim and lauding the victory over her.

 

Great, now even her intern is suffering the same fate.

 

\----------

 

Lee Sooman’s surgery is scheduled at 2:30 pm the following day in OR 3. Jinsoul notes that as she’s going over the surgical board to check her own surgeries for the day. She has a pretty booked schedule with back-to-back surgeries and only an hour gap between her third and fourth surgery as the longest break of her day. She figures her workload was increased to free up Ha Sooyoung’s time, since there is no telling how long her surgery will take. The blonde sighs, ready to tackle the long day ahead of her.

 

She didn’t plan on it but Jinsoul ends up finding herself in OR 3’s gallery during her only free time of the day. She’s internally scolding herself for not using this time to get food or take a much needed nap, her body is going to hate her later for this, but she can’t help it. She’s curious.

 

She notes the gallery isn’t as crowded as usual since only the top executives and authorized personnel were allowed to observe the surgery. She spots the bright head of purple hair sitting in the front row. Yerim, who was in the middle of an animated debate with Son Hyejoo, yelps when Jinsoul silently takes a seat next to her.

 

“D-dr. Jung! Hi! I-I’m not here to support Dr. Ha or anything I swear. Hyej-Dr. Son made me come with her because she didn’t want to sit alone and I had already finished checking on all my patients so I decided why not.” The intern rushes out in one breath.

 

Jinsoul keeps her gaze fixed on the scene unfolding down below on the other side of the glass. “It’s fine Dr. Choi. You and Dr. Son both worked hard on this case. It’s a rare opportunity for the both of you to witness a surgery of this caliber so early on in your careers. So learn and take in as much as you can.” She turns to the two doctors then, giving them a kind smile.

 

“Yes ma’am!” Yerim has a weird habit of saluting and after spending some time with the girl, the gesture has grown on Jinsoul.

 

This is also the blonde’s first time witnessing the other neurosurgeon at work. She hadn’t had the chance to watch her surgeries before (or at least, that’s what she tells herself instead of the more petty and immature reason that was probably closer to the truth).

 

Sooyoung, she realizes, is a wonder to watch in surgery. Her movements are precise and deliberate, not a shadow of doubt cast upon her pretty features. Or at least, that’s how it was until about 20 minutes into Jinsoul watching. She notices the woman hesitate, her hands freezing in their spot, her eyebrows furrowed.

 

After 5 minutes of no movement, she hears the resident who was assisting in surgery speak up hesitantly. “Dr. Ha? W-what’s the nex-”

 

“Shh. I’m thinking.”

 

Jinsoul watches as a bead of sweat forms on the woman’s forehead and rolls down her now frustrated face. Peaking at the image-guidance monitor, Jinsoul understands why. The tumor is not only large in size but also in depth. Now that Sooyoung has pried off the surface layer, she could see that the malignant tissue spread deep into the frontal and parietal cortex.

 

After another 15 minutes of still no movement, the audience gathered in the gallery and the staff in the OR all start to get antsy. The blonde hears some hushed “what is she doing? why is she just standing there?” from who she recognizes as the members of Lee Sooman’s medical team whisper behind her.

 

Jinsoul rolls her eyes in annoyance. She hates it when higher-up execs or non-surgical staff members watch her surgeries because they never fully understand the complex nature of brain surgery and took long instances of silence like this as worrisome. She could see the brunette on the other side of the glass start to notice her audience’s mood and is visibly affected by it, obvious in the way she suddenly asks for forceps.

 

Jinsoul gets up at the same time the scrub nurse hands Sooyoung the instrument. She takes two long strides to reach the microphone attached on the gallery’s wall, holding down the ‘talk’ button.

 

“Hey. Why do brain surgeons begin operations early?” Sooyoung turns her attention towards the voice coming in through the room’s speaker. She meets Jinsoul’s eyes quizzically.

 

“So they can work a _head_.”

 

The two neurosurgeons engage in a staring contest before it’s broken by Sooyoung bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. Jinsoul smiles at the sight, grateful that her lame pun was able to break the suffocating tension that was starting to engulf the OR.

 

“See? No need to be so tense. This is just another tumor removal just like the countless ones you have performed before. You don’t need to treat it so differently just because of who the patient is. Just take it one step at a time. The goal was and is always to remove as much of the tumor as possible. That simple fact doesn’t change with a tumor of this size.”

 

Sooyoung meets Jinsoul’s gaze again through the glass, as the blonde continues. “Take a breath. Stretch out your hands. Close your eyes and visualize the tumor. Or use the 3D imaging. Either way, start with the easiest and most obvious part. Imagine the step-by-step process of how you’ll remove it. And then do it. And then keep repeating that process over and over again until you can’t. That’s all there is to it.”

 

Sooyoung obviously already knows all of this. But it doesn’t hurt to hear it again from someone who understands. She feels assurance start to take over the looming doubts that had started to form earlier.

 

So, the brunette does what she is told. She places the instruments she is holding on the sterile tray. She takes a deep breath, clenches and unclenches her hands, wiggles her fingers around, cracks her neck, and even does a few full body stretches for good measure. The woman _had_ been standing there staring at an open skull for over 3 hours now.

 

Right before she dives back into the surgery, the brunette quickly looks back up to the OR gallery, words of thanks on the tip of her tongue when she notices the blonde is no longer there. Part of her feels disappointed, but she still has a job to do. She holds out her gloved hand.

 

“Dissecting scissors.”

 

\----------

 

It’s past midnight by the time Jinsoul finishes up all her work for the day. She briefly wonders how Lee Sooman’s surgery went; she had to leave midway through it since she had her own patients to get back to and by the time she was done, she heard that the surgery was over as well. A little too lazy and a lot too exhausted to drag herself up to the VIP floor, she figures she’ll just check tomorrow.

 

She runs into Sooyoung in the parking lot.

 

“Hi” the brunette greets her first, jogging a bit to catch up to the blonde.

 

“Hey.”

 

“What do you call a walking, talking neurosurgical patient?”

 

Jinsoul gives her a funny look, not expecting that. “What?”

 

“Pre-op.”

 

…

 

“God, that’s kind of morbid. But I’m guessing since you’re able to joke about this that the surgery went well?”

 

The brunette hums. “It’s looking that way. Of course, we can’t actually conclude anything about brain function until he wakes up, the usual, but surgery-wise it went better than I expected. Resected about 90% of the tumor.”

 

Jinsoul is impressed. Even by her hopeful estimate, she figured they would be able to remove 70% at best but Sooyoung keeps on surprising her.

 

“That’s really amazing, Dr. Ha.”

 

“Please, call me Sooyoung. And to be honest, I’m still a little embarrassed that out of the entire seven and a half hours of that surgery, you just had to witness the thirty minutes of it where I had a mental breakdown.”

 

“Good. Neurosurgeons, with our big egos, need to be knocked down a few pegs from time to time anyway.”

 

“Oh, I’m always humble.”

 

“Mhm sure.”

 

It feels weird. Talking normally like this with Sooyoung (were they bantering?) without feeling anything negative towards the other. But it’s also kind of exciting.

 

“Hey so, do you want to go grab a drink?” The brunette casually proposes.

 

Jinsoul fixes her with a brief look, as if to make sure the other woman isn’t joking. She mulls over the offer for a moment before cheekily replying, “I only go out for drinks this late with my friends or someone I’m planning to bring home for the night. And I don’t think you fit either of those criterias.”

 

“Wow, ouch. I know we aren’t friends but I must be losing my touch if I’m not even good enough for a one night stand now.” Sooyoung teases back.

 

Truthfully, Jinsoul probably would have accepted Sooyoung’s invitation if she wasn’t so tired and had already resigned to glueing herself to her bed for the good five hours she had before needing to return to work the next morning. But Sooyoung didn’t need to know that.

 

“Hm, I guess you’re just going to have to work for it then.”

 

“And which might that be for? Friend or bedfellow?”

 

Jinsoul cleverly chooses not to continue that conversation. “Goodnight Sooyoung.”

 

“Goodnight Jung Jinsoul.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i really just wanted to write bickering hyerry but i figured the audience wants yvesoul so i went back and sprinkled some scenes in. also, yes choerry is a whole ass surgeon with bright purple hair and no one can tell me anything about it! blockberry medical center is a very progressive hospital 😊 next chapter we’ll be seeing a lot more of sooyoung! as always, comments/kudos are greatly appreciated (& highly encouraged heh)


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